Tag Archives: the mall

The World Naked Bike Ride in London ‘gives people the chance to prove that the bike is a great alternative mode of transportation for travelling the city and a celebration of the human body’. Although not a protest, it is designed to also raise awareness of pollution and the politics around fossil fuels. Full or partial nudity is encouraged, as well as creative expression, but is not mandatory. Groups started at various points around London before joining up into a large group and circling the city and eventually converging on the Wellington Arch. The event drew such a large crowd on the ‘north’ end of Westminster Bridge that it inadvertently created a traffic free zone! This is illustrated by the second image below, with photographers jockeying for clearer views and spilling out into the road. A quick re-positioning allowed for clearer images as the cyclists crossed into south London, with another move catching them heading down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

The centuries old tradition saw the Colour trooped by 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, with the Royal Family and military bands passing down The Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back. Upon their return the Royal Family viewed the Queen’s Birthday Flypast from the balcony of the Palace. The Flypast was planned to include current aircraft of the RAF, plus the Dakota, Spitfires and Hurricanes from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and to be concluded by the Red Arrows. Sadly the drizzle and low cloud on the day precluded all but the latter.